Born on the 16th of October, 1854 in Ireland, originally 'Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde' was a noteworthy figure in the world of literature, known mainly for his flamboyant personality and extravagant style of writing. He lived a life of much fame and comfort until a scandal led to his downfall.
Regardless of his follies, the entire world hails him as one of the finest writers due to his one and only novel published- 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'. In it, he discusses the unspoken aspect of beauty, hideousness of the human character and criticizes society in a satirical manner throughout the novel with Dorian Gray and Mr. Basil at its center, as the main characters. Through the complex weaving of a twisted tale, in this novel Oscar Wilde holds a mirror up to our own society and calls out the rotten means of materialism and the sins of men. What struck me as fascinating the first time I read this novel was the relatability of it even today. For something written in the 19th century, it sure stirs up modern episodes in your memory. One of my personal favorite lines from the book as I remember it is, "Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing".
He has published other works and mainly plays like 'The Importance of Being Earnest' and 'A Woman of No Importance'. Other than these famous plays, he also wrote a classic children's story which all of us are familiar with, 'The Happy Prince'.
His works are to this day capable of invoking strong human sentiment, including shame and guilt at the condition of the world, while also making books an enjoyable experience through the most common yet rich dialogue that makes us feel connected to the characters in his works.
A man of Irish descent, that too born to a well off family and having earned multiple degrees in literature surely wrote of the rich in the 1800's, but this misconception won't take much time to stand out of the way when you realize he wrote fairly and understandingly of all the classes and people. Though in some of his works, I noticed the absence of strong female leads, his other works like 'Women of No Importance’ fill those gaps out efficiently.
Strained by the rigorous inhumane laws of Victorian society, Oscar Wilde lived his final days in poverty after being released from imprisonment due to a questionable affair with a man of high society. The sheer experience of poverty and being cast out inspired his poem 'The Ballad of Reading Gaol'. He died on November 30th, 1900 in his exile city Paris.
A very famous rumor goes, his last words were "Either this wallpaper goes or I do". While some speculate this to be ridiculous, ardent fans of the writer say, considering his general level of seriousness to life, it is most plausible he actually said that. Regardless of these speculations, one thing that I can confidently say is, Oscar Wilde was a genius when it came to writing and a most revered author for the right reasons.
"To live is the rarest thing of all, most people exist that's all"
-Oscar Wilde.
With that said, let us try living to the fullest, a life as rich with stories to tell as Mr. Wilde, as we remember him on his birth anniversary.
-Ishita Dhaneshwar
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